It was a one-two finish for Al Shaqab Racing as Motrag came from behind to edge stablemate Zikreet to win the Qatar Total Arabian Trophy for Colts, at the Saint Cloud racecourse here yesterday.
The third spot in the 2,000m Group 1 PA race was clinched by Ahzar.
The 100,000 euros race was the first of the two races to kick off the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend. Al Shaqab had four representatives in the 12-horse race.
Qatar also topped in the other Group 1 race of the evening, when Samaa, owned by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, won the Qatar Total Arabian Trophy for Fillies with an imperious run after turning the bend.
Samaa was trailing second-placed Djaikiri Safinat and fourth-placed Muneera for the better part of the 2,000m race but jockey Olivier Peslier managed to extract that little bit extra from the filly in the final straight to win by almost a length. Diva Du Paon edged past Muneera near the finish to end third.
Samaa’s trainer Alban de Mieulle was elated with his filly’s win. “It’s like a second coming for me in a way. I have been working with Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani for almost 20 years now and we haven’t been getting the desired results in the last few years for some reason or other. This win is a big motivational boost for me and my team. We hope this is a sign of bigger things to come,” said De Mieulle.
He also has Migwar running in the Arc tomorrow, the only one from Qatar in the 16-horse field. “Yes, I am keeping my fingers crossed. He’s a fine colt and I hope he shall do justice to his talent in the Arc,” added De Mieulle.
Jerome Cabre, Motrag’s jockey, said it was the start that mattered. “We got a good start. He is a good sprinter and once we were ahead I knew it was going to be difficult for others to catch him,” he said.